Method and device for producing electrode body

ABSTRACT

There is provided a method for producing an electrode body including a current collection foil, an electrode mixture layer, a heat resistant layer, and a separator layer are laminated in this order. The method includes applying a liquid heat resistant material forming the heat resistant layer to the electrode mixture layer on an electrode plate that is obtained by forming an electrode mixture layer on the current collection foil and disposing the porous separator layer on the liquid heat resistant material before the liquid heat resistant material according to the application is dried after applying the liquid heat resistant material.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

This is a divisional of application Ser. No. 15/890,564 filed Feb. 7,2018, which claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No.2017-027911 filed on Feb. 17, 2017, the entire contents thereof areincorporated herein by reference

BACKGROUND 1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a method and a device for producing anelectrode body of a battery including a current collection foil and anelectrode mixture layer are laminated, and more specifically, relates toa method of producing an electrode body in which a portion functioningas a separator layer is included and laminated in an electrode laminateof a battery.

2. Description of Related Art

In secondary batteries and various types of other batteries, generally,an electrode laminate in which positive and negative electrode bodiesare laminated is used as a power generation element. Each of theelectrode bodies constituting the electrode laminate has a sheet form inwhich an electrode mixture layer is laminated on a current collectionfoil. In addition, in the electrode laminate, a separator for preventingdirect contact between the positive electrode body and the negativeelectrode body is also laminated. As the related art of such anelectrode body, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No.2013-218913 (JP 2013-218913 A) may be exemplified. In this document, theprovision of a heat resistant layer on one side of a separator isdescribed in Claim 1.

SUMMARY

However, the related art has the following problems. The productivity ofthe electrode laminate is not favorable. The separator is generally in aform of a flexible film. Therefore, it is difficult to perform anoperation of laminating it together with positive and negative electrodebodies. Thus, it is conceivable to integrate a separator into one of theelectrode bodies in advance. However, as described above, there is aneed for a heat resistant layer to be interposed between the separatorand the electrode body. In this case, the adhesiveness between the heatresistant layer and the separator is not necessarily favorable. Thus, itis not possible to easily produce an electrode body including a heatresistant layer and a separator in an integrated manner.

The present disclosure provides a method and a device for producing anelectrode body through which it is possible to produce an electrode bodythat includes a heat resistant layer and a separator layer in anintegrated manner and has excellent adhesiveness therebetween.

According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provideda method for producing an electrode body. A method for producing anelectrode body including a current collection foil, an electrode mixturelayer, a heat resistant layer, and a porous separator layer arelaminated in this order includes applying a liquid heat resistantmaterial forming the heat resistant layer to the electrode mixture layeron a current collection foil and disposing the porous separator layer onthe liquid heat resistant material before the liquid heat resistantmaterial is dried after applying the liquid heat resistant material.

In the first aspect, first, coating is performed on the electrode plate.That is, the heat resistant layer is formed on the electrode mixturelayer using the liquid heat resistant material. The heat resistant layerimmediately after formation is in a wet state in which a solventcomponent is included. Then, the porous separator layer is disposedthereon before the heat resistant layer is dried. In this manner, theporous separator layer is bonded to and disposed on the wet heatresistant layer. Thereby, an electrode body having excellentadhesiveness between the heat resistant layer and the porous separatorlayer is obtained.

The first aspect may include drying the liquid heat resistant materialafter disposing the porous separator layer. When the liquid heatresistant material is applied, an uneven shape including a concaveportion and a convex portion may be formed on a surface of the liquidheat resistant material on the electrode mixture layer. A concaveportion in the uneven shape functions as a discharge path for thesolvent component when the heat resistant layer formed of the liquidheat resistant material is dried after disposing the separator layer.Therefore, a time required for drying the liquid heat resistant materialafter disposing the separator layer can be shortened.

In the first aspect, the uneven shape of the liquid heat resistantmaterial may include the concave portion that is continuous and aplurality of the convex portions that is discrete. When such an unevenshape pattern is used, vertical and horizontal discharge paths for thesolvent component are secured during drying, and an effect of shorteningthe drying time is strong.

In the first aspect, the convex portion may be linear, the concaveportions may be linear, and the uneven shape of the liquid heatresistant material may include a strip shape.

In the first aspect, a solvent component of the liquid heat resistantmaterial may include an additive for lowering a surface tension of theliquid heat resistant material, and an amount of the additive may be 30weight % or less. Accordingly, the solvent component in a liquid phaseof the liquid heat resistant material can pass through pores in theporous separator layer and can be discharged during drying. Therefore,it is possible to obtain an effect of shortening the drying time.

In the first aspect, a viscosity of the liquid heat resistant materialmay be 100 mPa·s or more.

In the first aspect, the liquid heat resistant material may includewater as a solvent component.

In the first aspect, a width of the convex portion may be 500 μm orless.

In the first aspect, a distance between a first surface of a convexportion with which the porous separator layer comes in contact and asecond surface of the concave portion faced on the porous separatorlayer may be at least 1.5 times as long as a distance between themixture layer and the second surface, and the distance between themixture layer and the second surface may be 2 μm or more.

In the first aspect, the additive may be ethanol.

In the first aspect, an amount of the additive may be 5 weight % ormore.

A second aspect of the present disclosure is provided a device forproducing an electrode body including a current collection foil, anelectrode mixture layer, a heat resistant layer, and a separator layerare laminated in that order. The device for producing the electrode bodyincludes an electrode plate supply unit configured to supply anelectrode plate. The electrode plate includes the current collectionfoil on which the electrode mixture layer is located. A coating unit isdisposed at a downstream side of the electrode plate supply unit. Thecoating unit is configured to apply a liquid heat resistant materialforming the heat resistant layer on the electrode mixture layer of theelectrode plate supplied from the electrode plate supply unit. A bondingunit is disposed at a downstream side of the coating unit. The bondingunit is configured to place the separator layer on the heat resistantlayer by bonding the electrode plate and a porous separator film beforethe liquid heat resistant material applied by the coating unit is dried.A separator supply unit is disposed at an upstream side of the bondingunit. The separator supply unit is configured to supply the separatorfilm to the bonding unit. A drying unit is disposed at a downstream sideof the bonding unit. The drying unit is configured to dry the electrodebody formed by the bonding unit.

In such a configuration, there is provided a method for producing anelectrode body through which it is possible to produce an electrode bodythat includes a heat resistant layer and a separator layer in anintegrated manner and has excellent adhesiveness therebetween.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Features, advantages, and technical and industrial significance ofexemplary embodiments of the disclosure will be described below withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals denotelike elements, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front view showing an outline of a facility for performing amethod of producing an electrode body according to an embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of an electrode body produced according tothe production method of the embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a state in which a solvent does notpenetrate into an electrode mixture layer and a separator layer;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a state in which a solvent penetratesinto an electrode mixture layer and a separator layer;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of an electrode body having an uneven patternon a surface of a heat resistant layer;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a part in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a first example of the uneven pattern onthe surface of the heat resistant layer;

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a second example of the uneven pattern onthe surface of the heat resistant layer;

FIG. 9 is a plan view showing a third example of the uneven pattern onthe surface of a heat resistant layer; and

FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a fourth example of the uneven pattern onthe surface of the heat resistant layer.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Specific embodiments of the present disclosure will be described belowin detail with reference to the appended drawings. First, an outline ofa facility for performing a method of producing an electrode body of thepresent embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1. Thefacility in FIG. 1 includes a coating unit 1, a bonding unit 2, and adrying unit 3, and further includes an original plate supply unit(electrode plate supply unit) 4 and a separator supply unit 5. Thereby,an electrode body 6 having a structure shown in a sectional view in FIG.2 is produced. The electrode body 6 shown in FIG. 2 includes a currentcollection foil 7, an electrode mixture layer 8, a heat resistant layer9, and a separator layer 10 (porous separator layer).

Returning to FIG. 1, the original plate supply unit 4 supplies anelectrode plate 11, which is an original plate, to the coating unit 1.The electrode plate 11 is obtained by forming the electrode mixturelayer 8 on a surface of the current collection foil 7. In the coatingunit 1, a coating process of forming the heat resistant layer 9 on asurface of the electrode mixture layer 8 of the electrode plate 11 isperformed. Therefore, an electrode plate 12 taken out of the coatingunit 1 includes the heat resistant layer 9 on the surface of theelectrode mixture layer 8. The electrode plate 12 is supplied to thebonding unit 2. A separator film 13 from the separator supply unit 5 isalso supplied to the bonding unit 2. In the bonding unit 2, a separatorlayer disposing process of bonding the separator film 13 to the heatresistant layer 9 of the electrode plate 12 is performed. Therefore, theseparator film 13 becomes the separator layer 10. The electrode body 6obtained in this manner is subjected to a drying process performed bythe drying unit 3.

Here, in the facility shown in FIG. 1, the heat resistant layer 9 andthe separator layer 10 are formed on only one side of the electrode body6 shown in FIG. 2. Coating in the coating unit 1 and bonding in thebonding unit 2 are performed on the other side thereof to obtain thestructure in FIG. 2. In addition, in FIG. 1, while the currentcollection foil 7 with a surface on which the electrode mixture layer 8is formed in advance is used as an original plate, the presentdisclosure is not limited thereto. The current collection foil 7 onwhich no electrode mixture layer 8 is formed may be used as an originalplate and a processing unit configured to form the electrode mixturelayer 8 may be provided at the upstream side of the coating unit 1. Inaddition, the electrode mixture layer 8, the heat resistant layer 9, andthe separator layer 10 may be formed on only one side of the currentcollection foil 7, and then the electrode mixture layer 8, the heatresistant layer 9, and the separator layer 10 may be formed on the otherside in this order, or only the electrode mixture layer 8 may be formedon both front and rear surfaces in advance.

Here, in the present embodiment, the electrode plate 12 taken out of thecoating unit 1 in FIG. 1 is supplied to the bonding unit 2 without adrying process. That is, when the separator layer disposing process isperformed by the bonding unit 2, the heat resistant layer 9 is still ina wet state. The separator film 13 is bonded to the wet heat resistantlayer 9. Thereafter, the drying process is performed by the drying unit3.

Therefore, the heat resistant layer 9 is dried. Therefore, in theelectrode body 6 in FIG. 2 produced in the present embodiment,adhesiveness between the heat resistant layer 9 and the separator layer10 is favorable. This is because, when the heat resistant layer 9 andthe separator film 13 are bonded, the heat resistant layer 9 is still ina wet state.

[Bonding in Wet State]

Examples will be described below. The present examples include examplesof producing a negative electrode body (the electrode body 6) for alithium ion secondary battery and comparative examples. The electrodeplate 11, which is an original plate in the present example, is obtainedby forming a negative electrode mixture layer (the electrode mixturelayer 8) on a surface of a copper foil (the current collection foil 7).The negative electrode mixture layer is a layer containing graphiteparticles as negative electrode active material particles and variousadditives as described in, for example, paragraph [0048] in JapaneseUnexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2017-027928 (JP2017-027928 A). The coating unit 1 in the present example is a gravurecoating machine. The separator film 13 is a porous polyethylene film.This porous film contains many pores with a diameter of about severaltens of nm.

A coating material used for coating in the coating unit 1 is a liquidheat resistant material obtained by kneading heat resistant insulatingmaterial particles in a kneading solvent. Alumina and boehmite can beused as the heat resistant insulating material particles. Here, the heatresistant insulating material particles have a diameter of about 1 μm to2 μm that is not small enough to enter pores in the separator layer 10.The kneading solvent is a liquid in which a binder is mixed with wateror a solvent. Therefore, the heat resistant layer 9 after the dryingprocess becomes a layer in which the heat resistant insulating materialparticles are deposited and includes gaps between particles. Table 1shows details of coating materials, the adhesion strength, anddeterminations of Comparative Example 1 and Examples 1 to 4.

TABLE 1 Kneading Adhesion solvent Viscosity strength DeterminationComparative — — 5 C Example 1 Example 1 NMP/PVdF 53 27 B Example 2 12541 A Example 3 Water/CMC 51 36 Example 4 123 49

Comparative Example 1 is an example in which the separator film 13 wasdirectly bonded to the negative electrode mixture layer withoutperforming coating by the coating unit 1. Therefore, in Table 1, thecolumn of kneading solvent and the column of viscosity are left blank.Examples 1 and 2 are examples in which a mixture ofN-methyl-2-pyrrolidone and polyvinylidene fluoride was used as akneading solvent. Examples 3 and 4 are examples in which a mixture ofwater and carboxymethyl cellulose was used as a kneading solvent.

In Table 1, the column of “viscosity” shows the viscosity [mPa·s] of thecoating material. The viscosity of the coating material increases as aformulation proportion of the solid component increases and decreases asa formulation proportion of the solid component decreases. Here, theviscosity was measured at 20 [l/s], 25° C. In Examples 1 to 4, coatingmaterials whose formulation proportions were adjusted to obtain theviscosity shown in the column in Table 1 were used for coating in thecoating unit 1. Here, drying conditions in the drying unit 3 wereappropriately determined so that the heat resistant layer 9 wassufficiently dried.

In Table 1, the column of “adhesion strength” shows the adhesionstrength [mN/cm] between the heat resistant layer 9 and the separatorlayer 10 after the drying process. Specifically, the adhesion strengthwas measured by a 90° tape peeling test. Of course, a higher value ofthe adhesion strength indicates a better result. Here, in Table 1, thecolumn of “determination” shows the result obtained by determining aquality of the electrode body 6 based on the value of the adhesionstrength. Here, when the value of the adhesion strength was less than10, the determination was “C,” when the value of the adhesion strengthwas 10 or more, the determination was “B,” and in particular, when thevalue of the adhesion strength was 30 or more, the determination was“A.”

Since the adhesion strength was insufficient, Comparative Example 1 wasdetermined as C. This is thought to have been caused by pooradhesiveness of the separator layer 10 according to the separator layerdisposing process that was performed on drying surfaces. This isbecause, when drying surfaces were bonded, an adhesive force only due toan anchor effect was obtained, and the absolute value of the adhesionstrength was low.

All of Examples 1 to 4 were determined as B or A because the adhesionstrength was 10 or more. This is thought to have been caused by aneffect due to the separator layer disposing process that was performedon the wet heat resistant layer 9. That is, when the separator layerdisposing process was performed, a liquid kneading solvent was providedon a surface of the heat resistant layer 9. Then, in the kneadingsolvent, a binder (PVdF or CMC) was dissolved. Therefore, adhesivenesswas obtained due to a chemical bonding force of the binder between theheat resistant layer 9 and the separator layer 10. Therefore, a morefavorable adhesion strength than in Comparative Example 1 was obtained.

In addition, Examples 2 and 4 had a more favorable adhesion strengththan Examples 1 and 3 and were determined as A. This is due to adifference in viscosity of the coating materials used for coating. Thatis, in Example 2, a coating material with a higher viscosity than thatin Example 1 was used for coating. In Example 4, a coating material witha higher viscosity than that in Example 3 was used. In Examples 2 and 4,since the coating materials had a high viscosity, hardly any coatingmaterials penetrated into the electrode mixture layer 8 (FIG. 3).Therefore, an effect of increasing an adhesive force due to the binderwas obtained in correlation with an amount added.

On the other hand, in Examples 1 and 3 in which the viscosity of thecoating materials was not so high, some of the coating materialpenetrated into the electrode mixture layer 8 which is a porous layer.Similarly, a small amount of the coating material penetrated into poresin the separator layer 10 (FIG. 4). Therefore, an effect of increasingan adhesive force due to the binder was partially cancelled. Therefore,in Examples 2 and 4, a more favorable adhesion strength than those inExamples 1 and 3 was obtained. Here, as results of additional tests, itwas found that an effect due to the high viscosity of the coatingmaterial was obtained at a viscosity of 100 [mPa·s] or more.

In addition, Example 3 had the viscosity of the coating material thatwas almost the same as that in Example 1, and had an adhesion strengththat was lower than those in Examples 2 and 4 but was higher than thatin Example 1. Based on such results, Example 3 was determined as A. Thisis based on a difference between types of kneading solvents. That is, anorganic-based kneading solvent was used in Example 1, and a water-basedkneading solvent was used in Example 3. Therefore, a surface tension ofthe kneading solvent was higher in Example 3 than in Example 1.Accordingly, the coating material of Example 3 was less likely topenetrate into the electrode mixture layer 8 than the coating materialof Example 1, and similarly, was unlikely to penetrate into pores in theseparator layer 10. Therefore, a stronger effect of increasing anadhesive force due to the binder than in Example 1 was exhibited.

Here, when comparing Example 2 and Example 4, similarly, Example 4 inwhich a water-based kneading solvent was used exhibited an excellentadhesion strength. Accordingly, it can be noted that a kneading solventbased on a liquid having a high surface tension is excellent as thekneading solvent.

[Uneven Pattern]

In the present embodiment, it is possible to form an uneven pattern onthe surface of the heat resistant layer 9. FIG. 5 shows a sectional viewof the electrode body 6 having an uneven pattern on the surface of theheat resistant layer 9. FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a part in FIG. 5.As shown in FIG. 6, gap parts 14 are periodically provided between theheat resistant layer 9 having an uneven pattern and the separator layer10. When an uneven pattern is formed on the surface of the heatresistant layer 9, there is an advantage that the heat resistant layer 9is likely to be dried by the drying unit 3. Since the gap parts 14between the heat resistant layer 9 and the separator layer 10 serve asdischarge paths for the solvent component in the heat resistant layer 9,the heat resistant layer 9 is likely to be dried. On the other hand,when the heat resistant layer 9 has a flat surface, the discharge pathsfor the solvent component are only pores in the separator layer 10 andtime is taken for drying according thereto.

When the heat resistant layer 9 has a flat surface, a high ratecharacteristic of a completed battery may deteriorate. This is because,when charging and discharging are performed at a high rate, theresistance of the battery is likely to increase. The reason for this isinferred to be the fact that a salt concentration of an electrolyticsolution between electrodes is non-uniform. When charging anddischarging are performed at a high rate, the electrolytic solutionbetween the electrodes is discharged from an electrode laminate due tothe expansion and contraction of the electrodes and the electrolyticsolution is absorbed between the electrodes from outside of theelectrode laminate. This is because a moving resistance is high whenmovement paths of the electrolytic solution at this time are only poresin the separator layer 10. Such an adverse effect is not exhibited whenan uneven pattern is formed on the surface of the heat resistant layer9. This is because the gap parts 14 serve as movement paths of theelectrolytic solution.

Formation of an uneven pattern on the surface of the heat resistantlayer 9 can be performed at the same time as when coating is performedby the coating unit 1. That is, when the coating unit 1 is a gravurecoating machine, it is sufficient to form an uneven pattern on a surfaceof a gravure roll and rotate the gravure roll in a forward direction.Alternatively, a processing unit configured to form an uneven patternmay be separately provided immediately after the coating unit 1.

FIG. 7 to FIG. 9 show exemplary uneven patterns on the surface of theheat resistant layer 9. The pattern in FIG. 7 is a pattern in whichdot-shaped concave portions are discretely disposed in a continuousconvex portion. The pattern in FIG. 8 is a strip pattern (strip shape)in which both convex portions and concave portions are linearlycontinuous and directions thereof are parallel to a conveying directionF of the electrode plate 11 in the production facility in FIG. 1. Thepattern in FIG. 9 is a strip pattern (strip shape) in which directionsof linearly continuous convex portions and concave portions are inclinedwith respect to the conveying direction F. Here, setting directions ofthe linear convex portions and concave portions to directionsperpendicular to the conveying direction F is not possible inconsideration of characteristics of gravure coating. The pattern in FIG.10 is a pattern in which dot-shaped convex portions are discretelydisposed in a continuous concave portion unlike the pattern in FIG. 7.

Table 2 shows Examples 5 to 9 for showing an effect of an unevenpattern. In Table 2, the column of “drying time” is a time required forcompletely drying the heat resistant layer 9 by the drying unit 3. Here,specifically, the drying time is a time required (unit: second) until awater content of the electrode body 6 measured by a Karl Fisher methodreached 300 ppm or less when an ambient temperature was set to 110° C.The column of “rate of increase in resistance” shows a degree ofincrease in resistance due to charging and discharging at a high rate ofa completed battery (an electrode laminate is a card laminated type).Specifically, the ratio of the resistance value between before and aftera high rate charging and discharging test over 100 cycles is indicatedby “%.” In Example 8, an angle of an oblique line with respect to theconveying direction F was 45°. Here, in all of Examples 5 to 9, typesand viscosities of kneading solvents were the same as those in Example 4in Table 1.

TABLE 2 Rate of increase in Uneven pattern Drying time resistanceExample 5 None 45 300 Example 6 FIG. 7 (concave dot) 40 250 Example 7FIG. 8 (vertical line) 39 129 Example 8 FIG. 9 (oblique line) 17 122Example 9 FIG. 10 (convex dot) 8 103

In Example 5 (without uneven pattern), the drying time was long and therate of increase in resistance was also high. In Example 6 (concave dotpattern), the drying time and the rate of increase in resistance weresomewhat improved compared to Example 5, but extents of improvementthereof were small. The reason for this is inferred to be the fact thatthe gap parts 14 were not connected to the outside due to the concavedot pattern. Due to such pattern characteristics, an effect of theuneven pattern was weak. However, in Examples 5 and 6, there was noproblem in adhesiveness (Table 1) between the heat resistant layer 9 andthe separator layer 10, and there was no particular problem in batteryperformance under non-high rate usage conditions.

In Example 7 (vertical line pattern), the drying time was not muchdifferent from that in Example 6, but the rate of increase in resistancewas almost halved. The reason why the drying time was not much differentis inferred to be as follows. In a vertical line uneven pattern, sincethe gap parts 14 in FIG. 6 were not connected to the outside, a functionas a water discharge path was limited to a low level. On the other hand,when a card laminated type electrode laminate was formed, the gap parts14 were connected to the outside even in a vertical line uneven pattern.Therefore, it can be understood that there will be some effect on therate of increase in resistance.

In Example 8 (oblique line pattern), the drying time was shortened toabout half of that in Example 7. The reason for this is inferred to beas follows. In an oblique line uneven pattern, during the drying processperformed by the drying unit 3, the gap parts 14 were connected to theoutside, and a function as a water discharge path was exhibited. Therate of increase in resistance was not much different from that inExample 7.

In Example 9 (convex dot pattern), both the drying time and the rate ofincrease in resistance had the most outstanding values in Table 2. Thereason for this is inferred to be as follows. Since concave portionswere connected vertically and horizontally in the convex dot pattern,the gap parts 14 sufficiently exhibited their functions during dryingand during charging and discharging. Here, in the case of the obliqueline pattern or convex dot pattern, it can be understood that, even if abattery including a wound type electrode laminate is produced, an effectof reducing the rate of increase in resistance will be obtained. Thus,in Table 2, the lower rows have better results for the drying time andthe rate of increase in resistance. Here, a preferable range of thedrying time is 30 seconds or less and more preferably 20 seconds orless. A preferable range of the rate of increase in resistance is 150%or less, and more preferably 130% or less. Here, while the same kneadingsolvent as in Example 4 in Table 1 was used for samples in Table 2, thesame kneading solvent used for any of Examples 1 to 3 may be used.

Here, the sizes of the above uneven patterns are as follows. In thepatterns in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, regarding the size of the convex portionwhen viewed in a plan view, the width of the linear convex portion ispreferably 500 μm or less. In the pattern in FIG. 10, similarly, oneside (a diameter in a circle) of the dot-shaped convex portion ispreferably 500 μm or less. In short, a distance between a location inthe convex portion and the concave portion may be a maximum of 250 μm orless. This is beneficial for obtaining an effect of shortening thedrying time.

In addition, the depth of the gap parts 14 when viewed in a sectionalview (FIG. 6) is preferably 1.5 times or more the thickness of the heatresistant layer 9 in the portion (concave portion). In other words, adistance between a first surface of the convex portion with which theseparator layer comes in contact and a second surface of the concaveportion faced on the separator layer is preferably at least 1.5 times aslong as a distance between the electrode mixture layer and the secondsurface. This is beneficial for the gap parts 14 to functionsufficiently as a discharge path for the solvent component. In addition,the thickness of the heat resistant layer 9 in the concave portion ispreferably 2 μm or more. In other words, the distance between theelectrode mixture layer and the second surface is preferably 2 μm ormore. This is beneficial for securing safety when a battery is chargedand discharged at a high rate.

[Mixing in Ethanol]

In the present embodiment, an additive for lowering a surface tension ofthe kneading solvent can be mixed into the coating material for coatingin the coating unit 1. As such an additive, ethanol can be exemplified.When ethanol is added to the coating material, there is an advantagethat a drying time of the heat resistant layer 9 in the drying unit 3can be shortened. A solvent into which ethanol is mixed has a lowsurface tension. The solvent that is in a liquid phase enters pores inthe separator layer 10 and additionally, it can be discharged to theoutside. That is, when ethanol is added, pores in the separator layer 10can be used as a discharge path for the solvent component. Therefore,the drying time can be shortened accordingly.

TABLE 3 Amount of ethanol added Drying time Surface tension Example 10Not added 38 72.7 Example 11 3 35 71.3 Example 12 5 19 61 Example 13 1714 48 Example 14 30 7 30 Comparative 35 — 24 Example 2

Table 3 shows Examples 10 to 14 and Comparative Example 2 for showing aneffect of ethanol added. In Table 3, the “amount of ethanol added”indicates an amount of ethanol added to the kneading solvent. Here, anamount replaced with ethanol in a base liquid (water or a solvent) ofthe kneading solvent is indicated by weight %. The column of “dryingtime” is the same as the column of “drying time” in Table 2. The columnof “surface tension” shows a value [dyn/cm] of the surface tension of abase liquid (including ethanol except for Example 10) of the kneadingsolvent measured by a suspension method. Here, in samples in Table 3,components other than ethanol in the kneading solvent were adjusted inthe same manner as in Example 4 in Table 1. In addition, no unevenpattern was formed on the surface of the heat resistant layer 9.

First, in the column of “surface tension” in Table 3, Example 10 inwhich no ethanol was added has a maximum value. The lower rows in Table3 have a lower value of the surface tension, that is, a larger amount ofethanol added resulted in a lower value. This result conforms to theory.More specifically, in Example 11 in which a minimum amount of ethanolwas added, a reduction in surface tension was very small. On the otherhand, in Example 12 and examples in rows therebelow, an amount ofreduction that can be considered as a significant change compared toExamples 10 and 11 was observed.

Next, regarding the column of “drying time,” the following can beunderstood. First, in Example 10 (ethanol not added) and Example 11(minimum amount of ethanol added), the drying time was considerablylengthened. This is because, since the surface tension of the solventwas high, the solvent in a liquid phase could not enter pores of theseparator layer 10, and only vapor of the solvent could use pores asdischarge paths. Thus, there is a slight difference between Example 10and Example 11. Therefore, when an amount of ethanol added is about 3weight %, it can be considered that an effect of shortening the dryingtime is weak. Here, Example 10 had substantially the same conditions asExample 5 in Table 2, but had a somewhat different drying time. This isbecause the actually measured drying time was influenced byenvironmental conditions and the like during measurement.

In Examples 12 to 14 (amount of ethanol added of 5 to 30%), the dryingtime was less than 20 seconds. That is, the drying time wassignificantly shortened compared to Examples 10 and 11. This is because,since the surface tension of the solvent was low, the solvent in aliquid phase entered pores in the separator layer 10 and pores could beused as discharge paths. Here, in Examples 12 to 14, it is thought thatsome of the binder in the solvent also entered pores in the separatorlayer 10, and additionally, some of the binder remained in pores.However, in consideration of an amount of the binder added, it isthought that the remaining amount was not sufficient to inhibit amovement path of the electrolytic solution in the battery. In Examples12 to 14, it can also be understood that the surface tension of thesolvent could be lowered without increasing an amount of the binderadded to the solvent. That is, it can be understood that the drying timecan be shortened without increasing the battery resistance due to anexcess amount of added binder.

In Comparative Example 2 in which an amount of ethanol added wasincreased further, the column of drying time is left blank. This isbecause, in Comparative Example 2, bonding of the separator layer 10 wasnot successful, and only the separator layer 10 having poor adhesivenessas in Comparative Example 1 in Table 1 was obtained. Therefore, inComparative Example 2, the drying time was not measured.

This can be understood to indicate that, since an amount of ethanoladded was too large, the volatility of the solvent was too high.Therefore, the heat resistant layer 9 was dried before the electrodeplate 12 taken out of the coating unit 1 reached the bonding unit 2, andbonding in a dried state occurred as in Comparative Example 1.

As above, an amount of ethanol added is preferably 30 weight % or less,and more preferably 5 weight % or more. Here, while the same kneadingsolvent as in Example 4 in Table 1 was used for samples in Table 3, thesame kneading solvent used for any of Example 1 to Example 3 may beused. In addition, while no uneven pattern was formed on the surface ofthe heat resistant layer 9 in the samples in Table 3, an uneven patternmay be formed as in Example 6 to Example 9 (in particular, Example 8 orExample 9) in Table 2.

As described above in detail, according to the present embodiment andexamples, after a liquid heat resistant material is applied to theelectrode plate 11 by the coating unit 1, before the heat resistantlayer 9 which is the coating layer is dried, the separator layer 10 isbonded by the bonding unit 2. Thereby, in the produced electrode body 6,favorable adhesiveness of the separator layer 10 is obtained. Inaddition, an uneven pattern can be formed on a surface of the heatresistant layer 9 formed by coating in the coating unit 1. Therefore, itis possible to ensure discharge paths for the solvent component of theheat resistant layer 9 and shorten a time required for the dryingprocess. In particular, as the uneven pattern, the convex dot pattern isbest. In addition, an additive for lowering a surface tension of thesolvent such as ethanol can be mixed into a coating material in thecoating process. Also in this case, it is possible to shorten a timerequired for the drying process.

Here, the present embodiment and examples are merely examples, and donot limit the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted thatvarious improvements and modifications of the present disclosure can bemade without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Forexample, the embodiment and examples have been described assuming that anegative electrode body for a lithium ion secondary battery is produced.However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and can beapplied to a case in which a positive electrode body is produced and acase in which an electrode body of a battery of a type other than alithium ion secondary battery is produced. In addition, an additive forlowering a surface tension of the kneading solvent is not limited toethanol, and may be methanol and the like.

What is claimed is:
 1. A device for producing an electrode bodyincluding a current collection foil, an electrode mixture layer, a heatresistant layer, and a separator layer are laminated in this order, thedevice for producing the electrode body comprising: an electrode platesupply unit configured to supply an electrode plate including thecurrent collection foil on which the electrode mixture layer is located;a coating unit disposed at a downstream side of the electrode platesupply unit and configured to apply a liquid heat resistant materialforming the heat resistant layer on the electrode mixture layer of theelectrode plate supplied from the electrode plate supply unit in anuneven shape including a concave portion and a convex portion on asurface of the liquid heat resistant material on the electrode mixturelayer; a bonding unit disposed at a downstream side of the coating unitand configured to place the separator layer on the heat resistant layerby bonding the electrode plate and a porous separator film before theliquid heat resistant material applied by the coating unit is dried; aseparator supply unit disposed at an upstream side of the bonding unitand configured to supply the separator film to the bonding unit; and adrying unit disposed at a downstream side of the bonding unit andconfigured to dry the liquid heat resistant material after the porousseparator layer is placed on the liquid heat resistant material by thebonding unit.
 2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the coatingunit comprises a gravure roll having an uneven pattern on a surfaceconfigured to form the concave portion that is continuous and aplurality of the convex portions that is discrete.
 3. The device ofclaim 1, wherein the coating unit comprises a gravure roll having anuneven pattern on a surface configured to form the convex portion thatis linear, the concave portion that is linear, and the uneven shape ofthe liquid heat resistant material includes a strip shape.
 4. The deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein a width of the convex portion is 500 μm orless.